Mt. Zwekabin

Mt. Zwekabin is one of the most sacred mountains in the country and there is a pagoda that sits atop it. The 700-metre high mountain is located seven miles south of Hpa-an. At the base of the mountain are 1,080 Buddha images that are hand-carved into the rock.

Mount Zwekabin now receives more than 300 local visitors and more than 20 foreign visitors per day. Among the local visitors, there is an increase those coming from distant regions. Normally, only local residents living near Hpa-an climb the mountain. Now, there are at least 300 local visitors per dayóand thatís only including those who climb from the new road. There may be others who use the old road. Also, the number of foreign tourists is above 20 per day. Eight years ago, there were only six tourists per day. On some days, there were only one or two tourists. The number of arrivals has increased this year. As the cable car project to the mountain is about to start, many of the visitors are interested in the project. The US$ 20 million (Ks 19.4 billion) Zwekabin cable car project is led by Penang Sayadaw from Malaysia, Zwekabin Sayadaw and Maebaung Sayadaw. Construction is expected to start at the end of November and will take about a year and a half to complete. Itís been awhile since the project was announced. The construction will be done by Buddhist experts from Malaysia and Singapore, as well as Myanmar engineers.

To get to the top it will take 2 hours, hiking up a massive stairway, but of course the view from on top is rewarding as you will be greeted with unobstructed views of the surrounding area. There is a monkey feeding event every day around 11am and the compound will provide a lunch service for those who arrive before noon. It is said that encased in the pagoda is a strand of Buddha's hair.